Mainely Vapes, next door to the Windham Post Office, is
open for business selling electronic cigarettes and vaping apparatuses.
“Vaping started with E-cigarettes as a replacement for
cigarettes,” said owner Ryan Miniutti. “It evolved into a quit smoking aid.”
Miniutti was an avid smoker and hearing that this new
trend could help him quit, he took the leap and started vaping. Through the
various flavored juices, he was able to get the right amount of nicotine to
calm his cravings. The juices have different levels of nicotine and some have
none at all. He has been smoke free for five years.
The most common tool is the E-cigarettes. Hardcore vapors
prefer the box mods that have unique styles. These are battery operated and
more powerful than the pens. There are others that are tanks or drip modules.
Some are combinations with rebuildable deck atomizers (RDA) or rebuildable tank
atomizers (RTA). The juices which come in various sized bottles are a liquid
that can be put directly into the water chamber or on part of the box mod
giving the flavor to the vapor that is sucked in to the lungs.
Mainely Vapes has 85 flavors for sale and approximately
100 in their tasting bar. Some of the juices have no nicotine and the highest
is 12 mg of nicotine in an entire bottle of juice. This is compared to 18 to 22
mg of nicotine in one cigarette, Miniutti said. The idea is to be able to
decrease nicotine intake until you are not dependent at all. There are
thousands of ingredients in cigarettes to only four or five in vape. There is
nothing artificial. Mainely Vapes carries a line of certified organic liquid. They
also carry CBD oils.
Juices or E-liquid as it is also called can be purchased
online, but Miniutti said that “You don’t know what you’re getting.” Even if it
is a reputable site, there is the wait time of having something shipped. At
Mainely Vapes, it’s cash and carry. They stock a variety of juices from the top
of the line to a nice general mixture with names and flavors like Ki-berry
Yogurt, Morning Wood (cereal flavor), coconut conniption, wicked watermelon and
more. They also have one that tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
and one that’s like a rocket pop from the ice cream truck with one flavor on
the inhale and two on the exhale. They are constantly getting new flavors. Mixing them yourself can be dangerous
especially when adding nicotine. “One drop in pure form can give you a heart
attack,” said Miniutti.
With equipment, buying online is not only time consuming,
it can also be dangerous, Miniutti added. “You’re not sure what you get. It can
blow your hand off.” Mechanical mods are the dangerous ones that look great and
can be cheap, but are for advanced vapers only.
Mainely Vapes carries only certified and accredited
equipment. With new federal regulations, vape shops and the product makers are
scrambling to make sure they meet the new laws. People who want to buy
equipment must be 18 years or older or with a parent. In Portland they must be
21 years old. Miniutti said he cards everyone who looks under 27.
Michelle Sass, Miniutti’s fiancé, said she loves smoking
and didn’t want to quit. Now through Mainely Vapes, she has not had a cigarette
in two months. According to Miniutti, more than 6.5 million people in America
have quit smoking thanks to vaping.
“We will educate everyone,” said Sass. “These are
basically little computers.”
Vaping is now huge on the social scene in colleges and
out on the town. There are competitions on who blows the best clouds.
Many of these types of people have zero nicotine and have
never smoked in their life, but do it because of the flavors and it’s fun to
do, Miniutti said.
Every vape shop is a little different. With Mainely Vapes
it is the customer service that makes them stand out. They treat each customer
as an individual and they will educate customers on the equipment they have.
Other vape shops are no longer helping customers get started with vaping,
instead, they sell them the supplies and it’s up to the customer to figure it
out. Liability is the reason they no longer are willing to help.
“I feel it’s more of a liability not to,” Miniutti said.
The store is set up with a vaping lounge for those who
want to socialize.
“Don’t be afraid to try it,” Miniutti said. “It took
vaping to get me off cigarettes. It wasn’t willpower. It was not going to
happen without something like this.”
For more on the shop, visit www.mainelyvapesme.com or find them on
Facebook, Google + or Yelp.
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